Weblutions Documentation > Knowledgebase > How to enable /etc/rc.local on Ubuntu

How to enable /etc/rc.local on Ubuntu

rc.local is a legacy script on Unix-like systems (including Linux) that was traditionally used to run commands automatically. If you want to use it for running commands at startup, follow these updated steps to re-enable it using a custom SystemD service.

Step 1: Create the /etc/rc.local File

sudo touch /etc/rc.local
sudo chmod +x /etc/rc.local

Step 2: Add a Shebang and Exit Statement

Edit the file using your preferred text editor and include the following:

#!/bin/bash
# Add any startup commands below this line

exit 0

Any command placed above the exit 0 line will run at startup.

Step 3: Create a SystemD Service

Create a new SystemD service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/rc-local.service

Paste the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Compatibility for /etc/rc.local
ConditionPathExists=/etc/rc.local

[Service]
Type=forking
ExecStart=/etc/rc.local start
TimeoutSec=0
StandardOutput=tty
RemainAfterExit=yes
SysVStartPriority=99

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Step 4: Reload SystemD and Enable the Service

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable rc-local

Step 5: Start the Service

sudo systemctl start rc-local

Step 6: Confirm the Service is Running

sudo systemctl status rc-local

If successful, /etc/rc.local will now be executed on every system boot.

Related Articles

Transfer Directories Between Ubuntu Servers

send files between servers send file from one server to another transfer server files

Suggest an edit

Review this page

faxes
  • 21 days ago - updated (21 days ago)

2 recommend this page